It is a time of fear in the face of freedom, a time of an emptying country and swelling cities, a time for the widening of previous roads and the opening of new paths, yet a time when these paths are mined by knowing algorithms of the all-seeing eye. It is the time of the warrior's peace and the miser's charity, when the planting of a seed is an act of conscientious objection. These are the times when maps fade, old landmarks crumble and direction is lost. Forwards is backwards now, so we glance sideways at the strange lands through which we are all passing, knowing for certain only that our destination has disappeared. We are unready to meet these times, but we proceed nonetheless, adapting as we wander, reshaping the Earth with every tread. Behind us we have left the old times, the standard times, the high times. Welcome to the irregular times.

Fossil Free says there are 210 campaigns on its campus action page, but when I actually count the campuses on the list I come up with 122. Frustratingly, 350.org, the organization that is sponsoring Fossil Free, is not publishing a list of those who’ve signed the petition, or even a count of how many people have signed the petition at each campus. I therefore can’t tell you whether the campaign is succeeding or not, or where it is succeeding most.

If you know something more about the Fossil Free divestment movement, whether it’s an internet-only movement or features student-run, campus-specific actions, I’d appreciate it if you’d share that information with me.

Whether or not it has achieved significant traction yet (and, like you, I have my doubts), this initiative is a pretty good example of where we need to be going. It’s abundantly clear by now that world governments will not…cannot lead with respect to climate protection, which leaves it up to the rest of us. A classic example of “when the people lead, the leaders will follow.”

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